


Kindling.

by timid_turtle_timi



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: BillDip, Chance at redemption, F/F, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Titles, I'm also terrible at summaries, M/M, Post-Weirdmageddon, This is my first time posting a fic so it makes me a little nervous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:22:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7134707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timid_turtle_timi/pseuds/timid_turtle_timi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years after Bill Cipher tried to unleash the apocalypse on the world a deal was made. For his crimes against the multiverse Bill would be turned into a young mortal, and stripped of the majority of his demonic power. He would then live out the rest of his natural life atoning for his sins by being bound to the human he possessed while in Gravity Falls, Oregon for a chance at redemption. If successful, and vouched for by the person he is bound, he will regain his immortality and his powers. Resentful of his new form Bill tolerates his new existence with the Pine’s twins until the day he can gain his powers back. Not long after he resigns to his fate, trouble stirs in Gravity Falls in the form of demons who give Bill an offer he can’t refuse. A chance to break free of his bond and wreck havoc once again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Binding

The feeling of being erased never truly left Bill Cipher. He could see things from his statue, and he could hear what went on in the world around him, but he never truly shook off the feeling of his form slowly being torn from existence. That had been his first punishment he supposed, delivered in full by the Pines family. At the beginning of his sentence Bill had held on to what he supposed was his hatred for the two pairs of twins, but as the years wore on the little feelings he could detect grew weaker and weaker giving way to something he guessed for loneliness. Finding comfort only in summer. Summer when the kids came and he could feel a slight twinge of happiness. 

It was infrequent and impromptu at first, their visits, but as the weeks rolled on they came back more and more. Dipper would bring his own field journal that he started with Mabel. Spending hours of time just talking out loud to himself about all the new findings he made. Mabel would bring her scrapbooks, and her crafting supplies to work in the silence of his field. She had even made him flower crowns to wear on his hat. At first they annoyed him with the constant noise. Over time he grew to appreciate it over the silence, and anticipate it with impatience. Sometimes the teens would come, but they were less of a comfort, and more an annoyance. They brought spray paint to graffiti his stone, and pose with him mockingly as they took pictures. But with every vandal came Dipper not long after with cleaning supplies, and complaints. Dipper came the most of the two. Needing someone to listen a lot more than his outspoken sister did. There wasn’t a secret of his that Bill hadn’t heard. He often wondered why the two young kids he had tormented visited him. Not that he could ask, but whatever the reason he was grateful. 

Summer’s past this way for five years. The Pines twins came back to the falls, they had their adventures, they helped Stand and Ford, and they visited Bill with new stories about school and their lives outside of the sleepy little town. It had gotten to a point where Bill could bear the burning sensation he felt. Of being able to both feel, and not feel. Of not living, but not dying. So long as he could keep seeing the twins. It seemed that the universe would give him a kindness when on the last day on one of their visits Mabel suggested they move to Gravity Falls the summer after their graduation. There Dipper could do his research, and she could get herself started on some fantasy novels. He agreed and the two set a date for the next year. 

Bill was excited when spring came to the forest. The biting blindness that came with winter was blissfully swept away by warm breezes and bird song. Each day Bill grew more and more restless with the impending approach of the Pine’s twins moving date. He had kept as good of a track that he could of the months that passed, and when the first day of summer arrived the energy he had stored pulsed through the air of his field. The grass had grown so tall he worried that Dipper wouldn’t be able to find him, but a rustling in the overgrowth squashed the doubts that he had. Though, what emerged from the grass was not either of his twins. 

It was an angel. Lorcan if he remembered correctly. One of the universe’s peacekeepers and one of the biggest pains that Bill had when he was still part of the multiverse. The angel circled him tutting its tongue as it went. “Bill Cipher. Look at you, a mere shell of what you once were.” It cooed at Bill’s statue. “Those twins may not be able to feel your presence still in this spot, but I can Bill, and my boss isn’t exactly happy that you’re still able to linger.” The angel stopped in front of him once more. Studying his still outstretched hand with a cruel smile. “I’m here to make a deal Bill, but I can’t say that it’s one that you’ll benefit from.” A gloved white hand came forward and wrapped around Bill’s own. Around the field a circle was drawn, and as the angel’s magic energy engulfed the two Bill’s zodiac burned its way into the ground as light sparked up from the earth to bathe them in the finality of the contract. What should have made a Bill more powerful sapped out of him the very energy he once had as he felt himself gaining shape in existence.

“By order of the council of universal peace I, Lorcan Greenway, carry out your sentence.” Bill could feel each of his molecules changing little by little as he was forced back into reality. Lorcan continued the binding as his stone shifted to muscle. “Bill Cipher shall henceforth become mortal, and be stripped of nearly all of his magical energy. With what he is left he will serve the human he is to be bound to. That human being the person that he has possessed while wreaking havoc here in Gravity Falls.” The angel’s eyes locked with Bill’s own as he moved their hands to shake. “Cipher’s power shall be returned to him in time, if he should receive a pardon from the mortal he’s been bound to. If not he will live out a natural lifespan and die a human. With this binding, so shall it be.” With a blinding light, and excruciating pain the deal was set. As the angel disappeared into nothingness Bill’s consciousness faded. The last thing he held on to was the sound of a familiar voice, and a blue symbol burning into his mind. 

___

Dipper Pines had encountered monsters of every feasible type. He had battled demons, gnomes, and fairies alike and did not at this point in his eighteen years think of anything as impossible. But the sight that lay before him on his gruncle’s couch was the most impossible thing he could have ever thought of. Black and yellow hair, long limbs that curled into a raggedly clothed body protectively, and a face scarred in a brick-like pattern with an eye patch covering his left eye baffled Dipper in ways he doubted were possible anymore. There was no doubt in his mind that the man that he found in place of Bill’s stone statue was the demon himself. Yet Dipper could only sit and stare in disbelief. 

A nagging feeling brought Dipper out to the forest to visit Bill while Mable continued to unpack at the shack. Summer was just beginning, and Dipper felt the energy of the falls filling his senses. Sounds of the creatures in the woodland brought an exhilaration he had missed in his absence. Now on better terms with most of the magical wildlife, Dipper took his time on the path leading to Bill’s clearing stopping now and again to converse with the odd gnome or wandering whisp that crossed his way. In the midst of light conversation with a faerie Dipper felt something electric shoot down the length of his spine. Overhead the call of crows filled his ears. The faerie gave a small screech and flew off into the thicket. The spark of a spell burst through the forest and shook him down to his core. Falling to his knees he braced himself against the wave of energy. An intense sensation blossomed at the nape of his neck. As if something was scratching at it lightly. Blue light peaked brightly through the dense trees. A faint scream blew on the backlash. The light faded out, leaving the crackle of magic in its wake, and Dipper could sense unrest in the forest that spelled trouble. Dipper ran with all he had to the source of the spell. An uneasy feeling rising in his stomach and the smell of ash alarmed him as he approached where Bill’s statue rest. In the burned field of grass lay a person, or what appeared to be. He rushed forward and upon closer inspection he was dumbfounded to see what could only be Bill Cipher in human form in place of his statue. Burns ran their way up and down his left arm, a loose cotton shirt and trousers singed at the cuffs, and an unnaturally strong stench of vanilla and fire lingered in the air. 

Dipper brought him back to the shack as quickly as he could manage. Gently he and Mable dressed Bill’s wounds and left him to sleep on the couch. He hadn’t stirred in the hours that he had laid there. Leaving the twins to wonder how he came to be in his condition. “What are we going to do?” Mabel asked as they watched from the kitchen. The coffee mugs in their hands were untouched and cold. Dipper sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to work over a solution. “Wait until he wakes up. After that I really don’t know what to do. We don’t know if he’s still a danger to us or not, or how he even survived the process of being erased from this plane of existence.” Mabel only hummed quietly and took their mugs to the sink. “Do you think it’s because of us?” Dipper turned to her, quirking a brow as she continued. “I mean, we visited him for years. To remind ourselves he was gone. I know it sounds ridiculous, but what if he came back because he heard us?” she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, eyes glittering with concern. “What if he came back to get us?” 

Dipper rose from his chair to take hold of her shoulders. “Don’t worry Mabes, there’s no way he could have possibly heard anything we were saying. He’s not going to hurt us.” His voice didn’t waver, but they could both hear the uncertainty in his voice. The silence that followed was heavy, and the weak yet familiar voice chilled them to the bone. “Pinetree is right Shooting Star. You shouldn’t worry so much over me.” In the doorway stood a small and shaking figure. The blonde top of his hair glistened in the sunlight, and he leaned heavily on the doorframe. Despite the obvious effort it took for him to even stand he still had a wide smirk split across his scarred face. “Bill.” Dipper sneered protectively placing himself in front of Mabel. Bill’s lilting laugh was almost inaudible as he grinned. 

“Humans. Always making assumptions.” He took a trembling step toward the two siblings. Weak knees buckled under his weight as he fell with a hiss. “Dammit.” Instinct drove Dipper forward as he moved to support Bill’s stance. “What happened to you?” asked taking in the former demon’s sickly complexion. “This dear Pinetree is my punishment for partying way too hard in the eyes of the universe.” Bill shook Dipper’s hands from him and managed to stagger his way into a chair. “Tell me brainiac, how much do you know about angels?”

___

Bill sat on the couch once again. The wary stare he was receiving from Shooting Star and the pacing Pinetree continued to do in the center of the room was beginning to annoy him as Pinetree repeated himself a third time. “So just to clarify. You’re not here to destroy us, and you’ve been punished… by an angel.” Bill let his head hit the wall behind him. “For fucks sake yes Pinetree we’ve been over this already. The angel’s boss threw a hissy fit over the fact that some of me lingered here, and I’m now bound to you in a weaker form to change my ways and all that sappy, pathetic fairytale crap.” He grouched. By the time his little “fever”, as Mabel had called it, had gone down the sun had sank below the horizon. Darkness swept over the sky and Bill could feel his mortal body growing weary. The human rubbed the back of his neck for the millionth time, tracing the mark of their bond. Bill closed his eye as he felt the warm sensation under his eye patch. The hidden mark seemed to respond with each touch Pinetree made to his own. 

The sound of the kid’s pacing had stopped. The sudden silence prompted Bill to open his eye once more. Pinetree had closed the distance between himself and the couch staring down at Bill with suspicion. “How do I know you’re not just lying to us? That you’re not just trying to get us to let our guards down?” How that incredulous look irritated Bill, but he couldn’t blame him. “I was an all powerful mind demon who could control the fabric of space and crush the minds of beings within the multiverse. Do you really think I would stoop so low as to turn myself into such a fragile, powerless thing?” he sneered. 

His frustration must have been getting worse as Pinetree began to massage the back of his neck as if it bothered him. “Look dude, I know you hate humans, but I can’t just trust you when you’ve done nothing but try to kill us in the past.” Bill scoffed and folded his arms indigently. “Humans and your customs and your “It’s rude to kill people.” I was doing you a kindness. With the havoc I was bringing you would have wanted a swift death!” Mabel piped up from her place in the recliner. “And look how that turned out for you! If you hadn’t tried to destroy this dimension we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” Bill felt a twinge of his previous power course through his veins and he stood, raising a hand to hex the girl who now gazed at him with fear.

A faint blue glow lit in Bill’s palm and Pinetree threw himself in front of his twin to brace for impact. It never came as the small flame flickered and then sputtered out of existence with a snap. An explosion of pain flared from Bill’s covered eye. Grunting he fell to the floor, his grip tight in his own hair as he writhed on the carpet. The pain traveled down his limbs into the core of his being, as if his skin was being torn piece by piece from his body. He was covered in sweat as the pain began to subside. Cursing his new weakness he turned to look at the twins who looked at him in shock. Staggering he rose to his feet to glare defiantly at them. “I can’t do anything to you in this form.” He said darkly, voice cracking as he continued. “I don’t have my magic, I don’t have my form, I don’t have my home.” 

The twinge of uneasiness in the back of his mind released a feeling that Bill had never known before. The look in their eyes, that look of surprise and slight pity made him sick. The pressure rose from his stomach to his throat and he felt his eyes prickling in frustration. Unable to take their staring any longer, Bill ran lurching from side to side out of the house as his breathing quickened. He could feel his heart beating in his chest that had gone unnoticed before, but now he could hear and feel it with every harsh pound. Bill sprinted into the forest blindly, and when his legs wouldn’t carry him any farther he screamed sinking to the ground and wrapping his arms around himself. His cries rang into the open air as fear consumed his thoughts, and for the first time in several thousand years, Bill Cipher was afraid he might die from the pain. 

Minutes that seemed like hours passed before he stopped screaming. Slumped over on the forest floor he was a pathetic sight. Dirty, powerless, and hopeless as he pressed his cheek into the ground. He let his exhaustion take hold, and slipped into uneasy sleep.


	2. Spellcast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this fic I wanted to bring in elements of fantasy and paganism to the magical aspects, though having the spells in Latin is more of a nod to an old quirk I had in my early writing. That being said the translation is from google so I guarantee that the translation isn't quite what the English wording is.   
> Does anyone else head canon that Bill would have a horrible sense of style? Like putting together terrible colors and styles of clothing? That'll probably show up later in the story, but for now I'll let my inner designer work via Mabel.   
> Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter, if you do please let me know in the comments! UwU

“Wake up meat sack I need your help with this terrible body.” A sharp jab to his forehead woke Dipper from his slumber. Bill stood before him, covered in dirt and leaves stuck in his hair, his eye patch was missing, the dark blue of his left iris glowing lightly with a silver triangle as its pupil and contrasting with the amber hue of his right. The bags under his eyes made him look older than his human construct was meant to be, and Dipper could see the defeat in his slumped shoulders. New scratches along his angled cheekbones bled lightly, dried blood trailing down his face. 

Blearily Dipper rose from the couch swatting the prodding finger. “You’re a mess.” He said bluntly.

“As if I don’t know that.” Bill’s voice was heavy with fatigue yet he managed to put a cutting edge to it that annoyed Dipper. Rolling his eyes he skirted past Bill to wander into the kitchen and fished a first aid kit from under the sink. 

Turning back to the living room he pointed to a chair at the table, “Sit.” Bill’s expression was filled with reluctance, but he took a seat on the creaking wood.   
The damage to Bill’s face wasn’t terrible, but the bandage on his arm was unraveling. A closer look at the marred skin showed small scrapes and cuts along the length of his forearm. Fresh burns had appeared since last night, they were raw and glistening along the palms of both of his hands. “Did you stay in the woods all night?” Dipper asked. Clipping off the bandage and retrieving a green vial from the bottom of the kit. Bill had his eyes closed, and Dipper would have thought him asleep if his voice hadn’t cut through the small silence.

“I wanted to see if I could return to the mindscape.” Bill’s eyes cracked open to stare blankly at his palms. “But it seems the backlash of my old spells don’t take too kindly to my new body.” His eyes closed once again. 

Dipper almost felt sorry for his old enemy, he could remember his own homesickness from returning to Piedmont from Gravity Falls when he was younger. But the momentary pity was short lived when he remembered why Bill was in his situation in the first place. He stood and walked around the kitchen to the fridge, hyperaware of Bill’s gaze on his back as he rooted around for what he was looking for, shoving tupperware filled with expired food out of the way to retrieve a second green vial from the back. Returning to Bill he handed the former demon both concoctions, “Bring these upstairs and take a shower. Use the cold one on your arms and hands. The other on your face and anywhere else you have scratches. I’ll show you where the bathroom is.” Dipper felt Bill’s stare as he followed him through the shack and up the old staircase, it felt more than a little odd to be leading one of the universe’s former threats through his home, but he supposed that he could work through his apprehension after he had his coffee. 

After showing Bill how the shower worked, Dipper went to the room that formerly housed the body switching rug to find it devoid of his twin. The room was bursting with the colorful crafting supplies Mabel had managed to cram into their car, and Dipper shivered at the thought of the amount of glitter being brought by the moving van later that week. He found Mabel back in the kitchen packing away the first aid kit with coffee already made and set on the counter for him. She shot him a smile, “Mornin’ Dip. Bill come back this morning?” He groaned as he slumped over the countertop. 

“Yeah he did. Bloodied himself up pretty good too. He’s in the shower now, but I don’t know what to do Mabel. It’s not like we can just let him loose in town, and I don’t know that it’s a good idea keeping him in the shack.” 

Mabel gave a small snort. “Like he could do much damage anyway. We should just have him stay. Put him to work in the gift shop for now.”

“Mabel that’s a terrible idea.” 

“More terrible than leaving him by himself with nothing to do?”

Dipper could see her point. There wasn’t much they could do about Bill, they didn’t know enough about their bond, and it was unlikely that Bill could do anything especially horrible while stuck in his human body. They would just have to figure something out, but until Dipper had the rest of his books he couldn’t do anything. “Fine we’ll have him help out, but one of us will have to stay with him at all times.” They nodded to each other in agreement then set about making breakfast. 

Bill quietly wandered into the kitchen after his shower. The injuries he sustained were no longer as red as they were that morning, and if he wasn’t mistaken, it seemed as if Bill was less somber. With a glance to Dipper he held up the half empty vials, “What was in these?” Dipper blinked confusedly and Mabel answered from where she now washed their dishes. 

“It’s some herbal gunk that grunkle Ford keeps around. It’s supposed to be good for burns; he’s got a lot of them stashed around the house.” She said taking the vials and handing Bill a lukewarm plate of eggs. 

“Really?” Bill mused poking at his breakfast. He sat down with a huff. “Glad to know Sixer didn’t forget everything I taught him.” 

The former demon ate in silence as Dipper watched. Bill’s human construct was a marvel if Dipper was completely honest. His skin, while damaged by his ventures in the woods, was smooth, and the contrast from his two-toned hair and his heterochromia made him look otherworldly, the light scarring that remained true to the brick pattern of his demon form added a look of intimidation to his angled features. As he lost himself in thought, Dipper barely paid attention to the question that Mabel asked. “Oh, yeah, sure. Sounds great.” He said absently.

“Great I’ll get started on the tours, and you take Bill with you to the stock room when you’re dressed.” 

The sound of Mabel heading out toward the gift shop brought Dipper to attention, and he cast a confused glance at Bill who had finished his eggs. “Shooting Star said we’re working the shop today Pinetree. I know I’m gorgeous even in this form, but jeez kid keep your act together.” Heat rose to Dipper’s face as Bill placed his dishes on the counter. 

“Any-who Pinetree, mind if I bum some new clothes? I don’t think your customers would appreciate seeing your employee so rough, even if it is me.” 

It was now that Dipper actually got a decent look at how filthy Bill’s clothes had gotten. The sleeves of his loose shirt had torn, large holes had split their way into the knees of his pants, and both garments were covered in dirt. “I don’t know if I have anything that would fit, but give me a minute and I’ll see what I can find.” Waving him off Bill sat back in his seat, idly glancing around the kitchen with a bored expression on his face. 

It took a while to find something smaller enough for Bill’s stature. When Dipper returned downstairs he had moved to the living room, and was sprawled on the couch. He sat up as Dipper approached and held his hand up for the clothes. “You could say thank you.” Dipper quipped dropping them into his open palm. 

“Mm I could, but I’m not going to.”

“Just meet me in the shop.” 

While Bill went off to change, Dipper traveled through the house to the gift shop and entered the stock room full of his grunkle Stan’s cheap paraphernalia of “oddities”. Their great uncles had decided to relinquish the deed to the shack to the twins, the two at the time being the only people they trusted with their home and personal documents. Soos had run the shack while the twins had gone through high school and college, but he made the decision to move to Portland with Melody after the happy announcement that he would be a father. Of course Dipper and Mabel were happy to move to their second home in Oregon, however, their grunkle Stan’s only condition was that they would run the tours and the gift shop just as he had. The work wasn’t hard, he and Mabel both enjoyed working the tours, but Dipper did question how the stock room kept mysteriously filling with merchandise. 

“Spoiler alert Pinetree, if you just look at the boxes, they won’t move by themselves.” Bill’s taunting voice startled Dipper as he appraised the tall stack of shirt boxes.   
With a sigh he picked up the first box and handed it to Bill. “Set these out on the table would you?” The blonde man accepted it begrudgingly, “Out of my endless generosity for your limited human functions I’ll do this for you.”

Dipper rolled his eyes with a scoff. “You do remember that you’re human now right?” The former demon ignored him as Dipper picked up a second box to unload. The two of them worked around each other in silence, annoyance still prickling at Dipper’s mind. As the morning wore on Bill got more and more agitated as he folded and unfolded the clothing. A light buzz on the back of his neck made Dipper jump and look around for the cause. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Bill’s voice was rough with irritation as he threw down a moss green shirt. A small glint of hostility lit his gaze, and as Dipper looked at him the sensation on the back of his neck intensified.

He put a hand to his neck, trying to feel what was causing it. “Is there something on my back?” Spinning around, he continued to feel around his upper back to find the source of the issue.

Bill scoffed, “There’s nothing wrong with your back. I think our bond is reacting to the fact that I’m pissed off.” The former demon turned back to his pile of shirts with a glare and Dipper sent him a daft look. He watched as Bill’s hands fumbled around with the cloth a bit, folding it sloppily before tossing it onto the table with a small form of other roughly folded shirts. 

“Do you need some help?” He asked.

“I can manage a few measly pieces of fabric Pinetree, but if you think you can do better then by all means.”

His voice was still lanced with animosity as the blonde once again tossed down the shirt. Dipper picked it up with a sigh. “Like this.” He said, moving slowly as he folded the clothing into a neat square. Bill watched him carefully as he folded two more shirts from the pile, and with a sure grip he helped Dipper to finish the rest of the folding in silence.   
The light buzz on the back of Dipper’s neck fading slowly into nothing.   
___

The only fun that Bill saw in working in the gift shop, was the fact that he could harass any and all tourists that came through the doors. “These rugs are the best you can find!” Bill said with an extravagant wave of his arm. His smile was wide, almost splitting his cheeks. “They’re thick, they brighten the room, and look!?” he pointed to the single eyed pyramid stitched into the fabric. “It even has a stunning likeness of yours truly!” 

The young couple he’d been talking to gave him an odd look before backing away from him, leaving with hushed whispers about his ‘strangeness’. Dipper gave him a silent glare from his place at the counter as he rang up purchases. Bill merely wiggled his fingers at him before moving onto his next victim. He found his specimen looking skeptically at the ‘authentic’ deer teeth necklaces. The teen flicked a plastic bicuspid strung on a leather cord, flinching as Bill made a sudden appearance beside him. “Kid these things may be fakes, but that’s probably for the best considering how you humans react to being gifted these things.” The teen looked at him dumbly as he continued. “But if you’re willing to pay extra I could manage to get some fresh from the woods. What do you say?” The maniacal look in Bill’s eyes finally wore the young man down as he backed away slowly, bringing a pout from the blonde’s lips. The humans clearly did not have a real enthusiasm for such oddities.

Bill could feel a light tug on the bond, causing his eye to twitch slightly. He looked at Dipper, who had taken to boring holes in the back of his head, and sauntered over. The last customer in line moved away as Bill hoisted himself up to sit on the counter. “You know I can feel you getting all wound up right?”

Dipper gave an exasperated sigh as he worked around the blonde’s body. “It would certainly help if you didn’t scare away most of our profits.” He said, blatantly ignoring the offended look he received. 

“Didn’t these people come to be spooked and see something weird? All the stuff they’re fawning over is fake junk, and here they are rejecting advice from a real demon.” Bill huffed leaning back on his arms. He heard a soft noise of annoyance from Dipper as he set out an arrangement of bumper stickers. 

“They came to see things that excite them, but for the most part they know the things they see here are fake. It’s like, going to a horror movie, or to a haunted house. You go to be scared and have a good experience, but you know everything is staged so there’s no danger. Real creatures and cursed objects just cause panic.” He explained. The ex-demon pondered the thought, but couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea. If they wanted to be scared then why would they go through all the trouble of experiencing cheap thrills? It was extremely counterproductive in his mind, but then again, he had been born into a world of fear then reborn as a ruler of nightmares. 

“It must be a cultural age gap.” 

“That or you’re just an insane chaos demon.”

The rest of the day passed with little event, or rather little sales on Bill’s part. After a couple of hours watching him fail at working the floor, Dipper had stuck him behind the counter to ring up the sales he managed to make. Around one all of the tours finished for the day, and Mabel came in with the mail. 

“Dipper, we have a letter from Stan and grunkle Ford.” She said placing the envelope on the counter where Bill sat with his head rested on the wooden surface. 

Emerging from the back room, Dipper opened the envelope to skim over the letter scrawled in the mismatched writing of both of their uncles. A hard tug on the bond had Bill raising his head to see the worry etched across Dipper’s face. “It says they’re coming home for a visit next week.” He said running a hand through his hair. 

A wide smirk slid its way onto Bill’s face. “Oh joy, I’ll get to greet Fordsy in my brand new form.” He made a show of running his slim fingers down the length of his face. “He’ll be so surprised to see me.” 

The twins shared a look with one another. “That’s not going to go over well at all.” Dipper groaned as he skimmed back over the letter. “How the hell are we going to explain to them that our worst enemy is living in their house?” he griped running a hand through his curls. The amount of stress the author was forming began to burn at Bill’s eye, the tension on their bond becoming an annoyance. 

“Kid relax. Twisting your panties isn’t going to solve anything.” 

“Easy for you to say, you know if Stan or god forbid Ford finds you here you’re dead. Hell, if they find out we allowed you to stay then we’ll be dead too!” 

The boy began to pace with new vigor, muttering under his breath for a possible solution. Mabel put a hand to her brother’s shoulder, “Dip you’re going to give yourself a migraine. Maybe we can just, I don’t know, hide Bill until they leave?” Both Bill and Dipper gave her a look. 

“How are we supposed to hide him?” Dipper questioned. Mabel chuckled darkly, a glint of something insane in her eyes intrigued Bill as she turned to him. “Just leave everything to me.”   
___

Leaving things to Mabel turned out to be just as bad as Bill thought it was going to be. He emerged from her room in new clothes; sewn at a speed he was sure no sewing machine was meant to perform, with a pound of makeup covering his face to mask his scars, and a new eye patch to hide the mark of his bond. Bill had surveyed human fashion for the thousands of years it had existed, and from his own taste he couldn’t be too irritated with Shooting Star for dressing him over and over again. Grey pants clung nicely to his legs, a short sleeved blue button up tucked in neatly to the waistband, but the yellow bowtie that she had fastened around his neck had to be his favorite touch to the ensemble. 

In the living room Dipper sat with his leg bouncing up and down worriedly. Throughout Shooting Star’s whole process Bill could feel the random harsh tugs of their bond as the boy worked himself up. It would be hilarious if not for the headache it brought. “Don’t think too hard Pinetree, you might hurt yourself.” Dipper’s head whipped to where Bill stood in the doorframe. 

His eyes wandered up and down the blonde’s form, cheeks reddening slightly as he struggled for a reply. “Y-you look different.” Bill rolled his eyes at the human’s bafflement; Mabel clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

“He does look great doesn’t he? I think we’ll be able to just pass him off as a new part timer.” Mabel’s tone was smug as the two of them flung themselves down onto the couch. The scarlet tone on Dipper’s face darkened as the former demon landed much closer to him than expected. 

The smirk on Bill’s face grew. “You like what you see Pinetree?” he questioned, batting his lashes, and placing his hand on the flustered boy’s forearm. 

“What? I- mean I guess? But like, before you were- Y’know great, too. I just- I’m going to go check on that thing in the place, and- Yeah.” Sputtering, and tripping, Dipper escaped around the corner and up the stairs. Bill’s voice bounced around the living room as he cackled. 

Mabel shot him a look of disdain. “Do you have to be so obnoxious?”

“Do you have to be so boring? That was hilarious.” 

She merely scoffed at him before following Dipper to wherever he had run off to. Bill took the opportunity to step out of the old shack to get some fresh air. His new need to breathe made him much more aware of how dusty certain areas were, and the energy of the siblings made him feel cramped. 

He walked out into the woods, now that he could see where he was going he was able to take in the scenery around him. The vibrations within the forest were weaker than he remembered, but he guessed it was more that his human body was less sensitive. The thought of his other form put a certain bad taste in his mouth. Before, he never had to worry about eating, or sleeping, or even breathing. It was relatively easy to sustain his energy as a demon by feeding on the nightmares of his victims. But this body, it got tired, and was limited in terms of his magic. In his other form he could feel the electricity of his spells coursing through his being. The power of having the world at his fingertips, and the ability to bring it to its knees exhilarated him. 

Now, Bill Cipher could only feel the sensation of his body dying. Every cell decaying, even the heart within his chest felt as if it would burst at the thought of death. It had been several million years since he had felt anything akin to fear, but the pressure building up and broiling in his stomach was unmistakable.

Without really thinking about it he had walked to the clearing where his statue once stood. The ground blackened in a perfect circle where the angel had burned the seal. Bill’s hands balled into fists as his jaw clenched and anger rose from his core. The thought of his return was always in his mind in his stone prison, though he imagined it being a lot more satisfying than what he was saddled with. Wandering over to his old spot he sat down on the ground, drawing triangles in the dirt as he gazed solemnly into the forest.   
___

Dipper could feel his neck buzzed and burned in waves as he unpacked his room in the attic. From what he could tell, Bill seemed to be having a difficult time sorting through his emotions. His anger and his annoyance felt different from the strange buzzing that Dipper could feel now. It wasn’t so much as a scratch or a burn, but a light hum that either ghosted or dragged on his skin. He did the best to ignore the feeling as he sorted and put away his clothing, trying to focus on getting his stuff in order. Then in the middle of going through some old pictures he felt an almost painful tug that shuddered down his spine. The prickling on his neck was unbearable, and he struggled to keep himself standing upright as a wave of nausea rolled over him. 

Without a second thought Dipper started running, ignoring Mabel’s worried yells, he let the feeling spur him onward into the forest. He could identify the feeling as he got closer, the fear consuming his every thought even though it wasn’t his own. His feet carried him into Bill’s clearing where he could see faint blue flashes through the trees, as soon as he stepped into the open space his eyes landed on Bill’s terrified form as he tried to keep a weak barrier up between himself and the massive griffin attacking him. The beast was up on its hind legs, clawing at the cracking force field with an earsplitting screech. Bill’s defense wouldn’t last very long, the surface already splintering into shards at the griffin’s feet. Dipper circled around the side of the clearing, wracking his brain for a solution, a spell, anything that would help him. 

Taking a deep breath he skirted around the tree Bill was pressed against, ignoring the blonde’s questions and reciting the words of his spell clearly as he concentrated on what he wanted to happen, “Nutu ventorum spiritus mali nullam vadite et eieci te hodie!” The barrier shattered like glass from the griffin’s weight, but as it came down upon them a gale of wind whipped the creature across the field into the evergreens on the other side. The griffin let out a pained whine, seeing no point in opposing the new competition, it retreated into the darkness and out of sight. 

Dipper turned to Bill now, taking in the blonde’s trembling form and reaching out a hand. “Are you alright?” He could see a new scrape on Bill’s arm, and the shirt he wore had several large tears in it, but he otherwise seemed unharmed. Still stunned, Bill nodded in the smallest movements, a terrified glaze still over his stare. Dipper crouched down to meet his eyes. “Bill it’s alright, you’re safe. Everything is okay.” 

Bills body began to shake violently, and he let out a small whine. “Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.” He repeated. The tug on their bond was strong, and Dipper found himself at a loss for words as he watched the man before him crumble. 

In Dipper’s mind Bill was a menace, something that was a threat to everything he held dear. He still remembers the reoccurring nightmares he had the first two years after the events of his first summer in Gravity Falls. Even when he was able to conquer his fears he shuddered at the memory of his wrath. But in that moment, as he watched Bill dissolve into a fragile, terrified mess he pitied how helpless he seemed. 

Whispering in order to avoid startling him, Dipper tried to gain Bill’s attention as the demon still stared at his shuddering hands. “Hey Bill, the griffin is gone. Do you think you can look at me for a second?” Slowly, Bill raised his gaze to Dipper’s and the young author continued to speak in a hushed tone. “Take a deep breath. It looks like you’re in shock, do you think you could do some breathing with me?” Bill nodded shakily, and Dipper smiled slightly. “Alright, just breathe in and out slowly okay? In,” he took in a deep, slow breath. “And out.” He let the air pass through his lips evenly. 

The two of them sat there a while, following each other’s breaths. Dipper’s legs began to cramp, but he never let his eyes wander from Bill’s. Steadily the blonde was calm enough that his hands only trembled a bit. Once again Dipper held out a hand, “Let’s go back to the shack.” He suggested. Slim, slightly sweaty fingers gripped his hand tightly. They walked in silence back towards the Mystery Shack. 

It was halfway back when Dipper heard Bill’s voice, small and lacking any sort of emotion. “I haven’t been in danger like that for a long time.” He turned toward the blonde slightly who was staring straight ahead. “I couldn’t attack, all I could do were defensive spells, and even then they were so weak.” He spat, an air of self loathing anger coloring his voice. Dipper thought about his words, taking note of the sting to his neck. 

Bill didn’t say anything else, letting go of Dipper’s hand as they approached the shack. The sky was dyed scarlet with the coming sunset; Bill reached for the handle of the side door when Dipper thoughtlessly grabbed at his wrist. The blonde tore his arm away, casting him a withering glare. “What?” he snarled. 

Opening his mouth, Dipper spoke without thought. “Let me teach you.” He blurted out. Shock and then questioning crossed over Bill’s face. He continued, “Let me teach you my way of doing magic. If your spells don’t work, then try mine.” His voice was strong, a determined look set onto his face. 

Bill looked thoughtful as he stared at Dipper, giving a tired sigh as he turned away from the brunette. “Fine. Teach me, tomorrow after we close the gift shop.” Without another word, he opened the door and retreated into the shack. Dipper gaped like a deer caught in the headlights. The lack of scathing comment about doing human spells shocking him slightly. Then he chuckled and followed the former demon inside, feeling a slightly warm pull on their bond.


	3. Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill is having a hard time adjusting to Dipper's way of doing magic, and understanding the tight bonds that the twins have to each other and their family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what's back from the dead?! THIS FIC. I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long. It's been a year since I updated this and I'm so happy that I continued to write it. I reworked all of the data that I lost and the plot that was thrown out so I'm hoping that I can update this in a timely manner, but I'm not promising anything since work will have me pretty busy. The only thing I can promise is that I will write this out until the end!!

Teaching Bill human forms of magic turned out to be much easier than Dipper had originally thought. Bill had knowledge of most of human history, the many forms that humans considered to be magic, and the rituals that they did to achieve their intent. The two of them sat in Dipper’s room in the attic for Bill’s lesson, but it felt more like Dipper was the one being taught. “The only people that have come anywhere close to true spell cast are those who have seen some of the darker things of their world.” Bill had mused as Dipper flipped through the few books he managed to bring in his car during the move. He was spread on Dipper’s bed while the brunette perched on a filled cardboard box. “People who have trained in religious practice, like priests, have an idea of it. But it’s rare that you find one that can do more than what their limited teachings allow. They lack understanding of multiple causes and effects that different belief systems create, and by default lack the understanding to do anything other than exorcisms or simple prophetic clairvoyance.”

Dipper listened intently as he continued on about his experiences with different cultures that had helped him to understand his own magic in the first thousand years of his immortality. It was the first time he had seen Bill truly relaxed since he had come to the shack, and it felt almost wrong to interrupt his reminiscing. Dipper waited until the blonde had paused to ask any questions.

“What did you think of the Salem witch trials?” he asked, slightly in awe.

Bill scoffed, rolling his eyes. “From what I heard it was a bunch of tiny minded humans that let their own fear consume them. I didn’t get to see much of it since I was living in the body of a Russian warlock at the time. Those girls were just suffocated Puritans who found some Pagan rituals and decided that would be a good source of teenage rebellion.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Was Ford the one that taught you what you know?”

Dipper made a noncommittal sound in his throat. “He started me off on Pagan belief systems, things that the Druids used, but for the most part I’ve been learning how to cast on my own.” He explained. “I had done some spells that were in the journal, and after all the weird things that I saw my first summer here I wasn’t really in any position to be skeptical. So I did some research, combined some different rituals and just tried anything that I thought would work. Soon I was making my own spells, and doing things my own way.”

Bill was observing him thoughtfully, Dipper flushed embarrassedly. The blonde smirked, chuckling at his discomfort. “And here I thought Sixer would have made you his star pupil, maybe the old man is losing his touch.” He chuckled.

Dipper smiled. “It wasn’t like he didn’t want to, trust me. Before we left that first summer he offered to make me his apprentice.”

Bill quirked his brow; rising from his position to sit upright. “Why would you turn him down? I would think that you would have jumped at the chance to be his right hand man.”

“I did at first, but I would have been leaving Mabel all alone. We’ve always been there for each other and I didn’t want that to change.” Nostalgia washed over Dipper as he recalled how he had to explain to Ford why he couldn’t stay in Gravity Falls after they survived the wave of weirdness that had taken over.

Bill just shook his head as he watched Dipper gaze softly at the book in his hands, off in his own memories. “I don’t really get this whole ‘sibling loyalty’ thing that you and the old men keep fussing over every time things get stressful. In most dimensions your attachment would have been used as leverage in order for things to kill you.”

Dipper snorted in annoyance. “You mean like you tried to do when you took over the town?”

“Exactly!” Bill smiled sadistically. “You guys make it way too easy for things to pick you off one by one.”

“Remind me who lost the last time someone tried that?” Dipper reminded.

A mild buzz settled over Dipper’s neck as Bill’s face soured. “How could I possibly _forget_?” The growing resentment Bill felt radiated off of their bond and Dipper could feel anger pricking at his own nerves.

“You have no one to blame but yourself for that.” He quipped, gathering his books. “I think it’ll be better if we stop for today.” He was fighting the urge to snap at the demon, whom seemed not to have any sort of sense of responsibility for his actions.

He rose to leave, but a slim hand on his arm prevented him from going further. “Don’t walk away from me Pinetree, we’re not finished yet.” Dipper took a breath, facing the agitated blonde.

“I’m not going to sit here while you pretend that what you did was okay.” He said coldly tearing his arm from Bill’s grip. “I’m not going to let you blame me, or Mabel, or anyone else for your shitty situation. You did this to yourself, and you don’t get to try and make me feel bad when I’m trying to help you.”

Bill seemed to be taken aback by his words, gaping at Dipper as he stood there looking down on him. In a flash he set his face with a scowl, “Then why help me at all?” he questioned, scorn rippling through his form. Dipper could feel a hot flash of both anger and doubt rippling through the bond, and he was sure that Bill could feel his growing aggravation.

Dipper sucked in a breath, trying to control his emotions. “I’m not like you.” He said simply, feeling the tension seep from him as he forced himself to calm down. “I’m not going to leave you out there, defenseless and scared just because I don’t like you. It wouldn’t be right.” Dipper walked to the door, only pausing when he heard Bill’s now quiet voice.

“After everything I did, you’re taking pity on me. I don’t understand.” The genuine confusion in his voice made Dipper turn one last time.

“It’s called compassion. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.” He left the attic, letting the door slam shut as he stormed down the stairs and into the Shack to help Mabel clear up for closing.

___

Bill did his best to ignore Dipper for a few hours after he stormed out of the attic. They were both silently getting on each other’s nerves as they sulked in their respective ways, their bond not leaving any room for either’s emotions to be missed. It pissed Bill off to have to deal with the kid’s presence and his own jumbled feelings at the same time. He felt annoyed, that he recognized, confusion was something he wasn’t quite used to, but something more settled into the pit of his stomach. Some unfamiliar prickling at his core that made him feel sad, and somewhat mad at himself. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was supposed to be.

Cautiously, he entered Shooting Star’s room, knocking on his way in and waiting until she had turned to see him come through the door. She gave him a wary look, “What’s up Bill?” He put on his best smile.

“Nothing much, I just wanted to talk to you about something.” He said, intently looking at his nail beds to avoid her gaze. “I wanted to talk about Pinetree.”

Shooting Star rolled her eyes, exasperation laced into her voice, “Are you two still at each other’s throats?” she asked as he took a seat onto her bed.

“Can’t exactly rip out his jugular if we’re not speaking.” He muttered bitterly.

“If you expect me to take your side-”

“I’m not. I just,” he paused. “I can’t wrap my head around this whole ‘familial bond’ thing that humans have.”

The brunette looked at him curiously. “There’s not much to it.” She started, “I mean, it’s just the fact that you share a common beginning with someone. Families feel a connection to each other because they started from the same people their ancestors did.” She tried to explain. Bill just gave her a look. “It’s hard to explain. Since you didn’t have a family-” he cut her off

“I did once.” He said defensively. Surprise etched across Shooting Star’s face. “It’s just been a while. Several hundred of millions of years makes it hard to remember something short lived.” He could feel his face burning a little as he said it. It had been a long time since he made an actual effort to understand the concept, and much longer since he experienced it. His memories of his extremely short mortal life were hazy around the time he began his immortal one as a demon. Anything before that was a blur of shapes and faces.

Shooting Star took a seat beside him. “Well, let’s start with what you can remember. When you think about that time does anyone specific come into mind?”

He hummed thoughtfully, closing his eyes and conjuring up what he thought his first life was like. The world he was born into wasn’t a pleasant one by any means, but he remembered doing what he could to make it better. He could remember that someone was always with him. A blurry figure with a bright smile that shared the color of his eyes, “I think… Maybe I had a brother? Or something like that.” the words sounded so foreign coming from his own mouth. He looked to the expectant girl beside him. “I think he was important to me. He’s one of the more vivid things I can remember, but it’s still really distant.” 

The brunette gave him a small grin, “That’s fine. You know he was important, so you would want to protect him right?” Bill nodded slowly, and her smile grew. “That’s what family is like.”

Bill felt a little skeptical as he left Shooting Star’s room, but he figured if he had any hope on understanding familial connections he should take what he could get. He decided to find Pinetree. The persistent sensation on their bond had dulled since their spat, and since he was stuck with the kid he might as well try to make amends.

He found the younger twin in the kitchen, microwaving something while he read at the counter. Pinetree turned to him as he entered; a hesitant look on his face. Bill counted to three and spoke, “I’m not apologizing.” He said bluntly, holding up a hand to stop Pinetree as he tried to interrupt. “But what I said was uncalled for.” He continued sincerely. The brunette looked at him skeptically. “I don’t disagree that this,” Bill gestured to himself, “is my fault. And I would like it if you could still teach me.” He finished, looking to Pinetree expectantly.

The taller man still looked at him with suspicion, but he nodded slightly. “Okay.” He said, going back to the book in his hand. Bill nodded to himself as he took a seat at the table.

They sat in silence as Pinetree took a mug from the microwave and prepared some tea for himself. Bill let his head rest on the hard wood surface, studying the countless marks and stains that littered the tabletop.

“I heard you talking to Mabel.” Pinetree’s voice was quiet; as if he wasn’t sure he should say anything.

Bill smiled up at him from where he laid his head, “Spying on me kid?”

“No!” the brunette’s face pinked as he looked away from the former demon. “I was going to do the same, but I overheard you in there and got curious.”

“Pretty sure that still counts as spying Pinetree.”

“Shut up.”

They fell into silence for a few moments before Bill asked, “Did you hear much?” Curiosity prickled at him.

“Not really. Just the part when you were talking about your family.”

Bill’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh.” He traced the marks on the table, unsure of what to say or if he needed to fill the silence that kept falling in between them.

But it seemed that the kid would be the one to do that. “They’ve been gone for a long time, right?”

“Yeah kid.”

“Why are you trying so hard to understand? If it’s been so long since you’ve been with yours?” Bill sighed.

“I’ve lived a long, _long_ time Pinetree. I figure if I’m on a time limit now I should make an effort to learn something new.”

“Are you scared of dying?” the kid asked.

“No.” he lied. No reason to admit to anything that he didn’t want to. “I’ve been through death. Or what I thought it would be when you erased me from Stanley’s mind.” He paused. “Are… _You_ scared?”

The kid looked thoughtful for a minute before shaking his head. “I don’t think there’s anyone who isn’t.”  

Bill smirked; he raised his head up to look at Pinetree, taking in the serious look on his face. “You’ve really grown up kid.”

___

It was only a couple of days before the three of them fell into a normal routine. Bill would help Dipper or Mabel in the shack while the other ran tours, afterward the two boys would retreat to the attic for Bill’s magic lessons, and finally they would settle down for the night in front of the T.V. as they ate dinner. It was an easy groove for Dipper to fall into, and he almost felt completely at ease with the former demon sat beside him and Mabel.

But his twin’s suggestion had sparked a sharp jab of worry through Dipper. He could feel Bill’s amusement as the three of them milled around the shack. “You want to take Bill shopping?” he echoed the question he’d already uttered, disbelieving.

“Dip’ he can’t keep living on your oversized hand me downs, and I don’t have enough fabric to make him a complete wardrobe. If we’re going to sell it to Stan and Ford that he’s new in town he needs new clothes.” She explained, already rustling through both of their wallets to count their money.

“I guess you’re right,” he relented. “But how are we going to explain why the new part timer is sleeping on our couch?”

His question made his twin pause, clearly not having thought about that before. Not that Dipper really had either, he was mostly busy trying not to stress over the fact Bill would be greeting their gruncles _at all_. While the two of them pondered their options Bill spoke up, “I could always come across as a hitchhiker.” Two sets of brown eyes snapped to the blonde.

The shorter male was sat on the floor, leaning against the wooden wall of the shack as he picked at his nails. “This place gets tourists all the time. I can just say that I’ve been hitchhiking and I ran out of money, so you two decided to hire me for the summer and I’m crashing on the couch.” He finished, glancing at the twins as they gaped at him.

Dipper ran the story through his head a few times, “I guess it could work, but you need to be prepared if they ask you anything else. Ford isn’t going to trust a stranger, and Stan doesn’t trust anyone living with his money that isn’t family. Period.” He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers snagging in his curls. “We’ll work something out while we’re at the mall today.”

___

Taking Bill to the mall turned out to be a little more exhausting than Dipper had anticipated. Between the blonde and Mabel streaking off in every direction at the drop of a dime, the young author was exhausted by the time he finally managed to wrangle them into staying in one store.

Mabel surprisingly bonded with Bill easily. They both gravitated toward the dress shirts, talking about which ones would look better on the former demon before he sauntered off to the dressing rooms. While his sister took charge of looking after Bill she sent him off to find a few pairs of jeans and some t shirts. He went off the colors he’d seen Bill whisk off to the dressing rooms, not willing to spend any more time in this store with his two companions than he had to if he violated the smaller man’s fashion sense.

It was while he was debating which size he should grab that a haughty voice brought him out of his thoughts. “Well, well if it isn’t the _Savior_ of Gravity Falls.” Dipper smiled as he turned to see the expensively dressed form of Pacifica Northwest. “I was wondering when I would run into you again.”

Pacifica had become something of a friend to the Pine’s twins in the summers that they continued to visit. She formed a particularly close bond with Mabel after agreeing to spend more than a couple of sleepovers with Candy and Grenda. The four girls had a rocky start at first, but with Mabel around to break the ice and warm Pacifica’s cool exterior, they had a strong friendship that lasted throughout the years.

Dipper held out his arms, giving the girl a quick hug. “I thought you’d still be in New York by today. Did you come back early?”

She pat his back before releasing him, “Yeah you know how much I hate doing those snobby photo shoots.” She said, rolling her eyes. “But it was a favor for my dad.”

Pacifica’s family hadn’t stayed in the lower class after the almost-apocalypse for very long. Preston Northwest had ways of working up his fortune once again, and even if he couldn’t live in his family’s ancient mansion anymore he still had the means over the years to have another built on the outskirts of town. But despite her family’s rise into their former glory, Pacifica was able to keep herself from falling back into being that overly selfish pre teen again. Even going as far as to move into a smaller place in town, letting her modeling support her and only taking advantage of her name enough to keep the job offers coming.

The blonde’s eyes searched around the store, “Is Mabel with you?” He chuckled.

“She’s over by the formal wear helping…” He trailed off, reminding himself that he couldn’t let her see Bill.

Pacifica raised a brow, “Helping what?”

“Um, I’ll go get her for you. Here,” he thrust the shirts he had collected at her. “Do me a favor and pick the ones Mabel would choose.” Dipper rushed the words out of his mouth, ignoring the surprise that crossed the girls’ face as he hurried off toward where he left his twin.

He found Mabel in front of the dressing rooms, a small pile of clothes and a pair of shoes resting on her lap. “Hey, I just left Pacifica over by the t shirts. She’s asking for you.”

Immediately Mabel’s eyes lit up, “Pacifica’s back? Hold these! I’ve got to go!” in a whirlwind of curls and giggling, she disappeared; leaving Dipper to stand with a now rumpled armful of clothing.

The click of a lock behind him alerted the brunette to Bill emerging from the dressing room. “How fast does Shooting Star move? I wasn’t even in there for a minute after she shoved this shirt at me.”

“Considering that it’s Pacifica, I’m pretty sure Mabel defies the laws of physics when-” the words died in Dipper’s throat as he turned to look at Bill. The blonde was sporting a pair of tight teal jeans that clung to his legs, a pastel pink button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows topped off the outfit. On anyone else, it probably would have looked flashy, but with Bill’s confidence it looked stylish.

Bill looked at him, a shit eating grin plastered across his face. “Jeeze Pinetree, you sure have one hell of a staring problem!” Dipper snapped out of his reverie.

“Screw you, is that the last thing you have to try on?” he snipped, looking away from Bill’s still growing grin.

“Yeah, we were going to find you after I got back into your pants.” The former demon teased, throwing an arm around Dipper’s shoulders while author sputtered. “I’ll wait here while you go pry Shooting Star off of her gal pal.” Bill continued, waggling his eyebrows as he took the clothing still in Dipper’s hands.

Wordlessly Dipper set off back to where he met Pacifica, finding her studying the t shirts he picked with Mabel at her side. The two girls looked at him as he approached.

“Hey Dip’, you did good picking these out. Do you think you could _possibly_ handle heading back without me?” Mabel asked, batting her eyelashes as she smiled sweetly at him.

“Fine,” he sighed. “But only if you pick up dinner on your way home. I don’t feel like making anything.”

He was left with the shirts as Mabel and Pacifica made their way to the exit, no doubt excited for a chance to catch up after being apart for so long. With a shake of his head, Dipper made his way back to Bill, who was sprawled on a chair near the fitting rooms. “Are you ready to go? Mabel went off with Pacifica, and she said she’d pick something up to eat later.” The blonde hummed as he rose to follow Dipper through the store.

“We should watch a movie when we get back. I haven’t seen what you humans find to be _entertainment_ since the coliseums stopped feeding people to lions.”

“Yeah, okay, but don’t make fun of what I pick.”

___

It turned out that Dipper had jinxed any chance of Bill _not_ making fun of his movie choice. “Pinetree this movie is ridiculous.” He said for the hundredth time that evening. Dipper groaned, tearing his eyes away from the screen.

“Maybe if you would pay attention then you’d surprise yourself by liking it.”

Bill gave a loud laugh, “Doubtful Pinetree, why would any of your species even bother denying the existence of life on other planets? You do realize your dimension has one of the vastest open spaces outside of your solar system right?”

Dipper groaned as he paused the movie. “Not everyone can comprehend the full implications without panicking Bill.” He rose from the couch, “Since you’re making it impossible for either of us to enjoy the movie, how about we do something else. I’ll go grab my book and we can see how your levitation is coming along.”

Without waiting for a response he ascended the staircase, grabbing one of the few books in his room before returning to find Bill in the kitchen. He couldn’t wait for the moving van to come with the rest of their stuff. The bowl of fruit they used for practice was already set on the table.

They sat side by side, without outer distractions; Dipper could feel the pulse of calm that flowed from the back of his neck as Bill cleared his mind. He didn’t think he would ever get used to feeling what Bill felt at first, but now he barely noticed the slight ebb and flow of energy that pulsed through the bond form day to day. The change was a nice welcome from the first couple of days where every little thing would send a vortex of uncertainty and anger at Dipper from the smaller man.

“Just focus on the image of what you want to move resting in an empty room. Then slowly will it to rise as you breathe.” He said softly, watching Bill’s chest move as he breathed.

A faint blue glow settled over the smallest orange in the bowl, in a few heartbeats it was shivering and slowly rising ever so slowly into the air. Bill’s brows were knit together, eyes barely open as he fought for concentration. After a while the orange was up two inches, shaking intensely before Bill’s shoulders sagged and the fruit dropped back into the bowl. “Dammit.” The blonde cursed, small beads of sweat trailing down his temple.

Frustration scratched along the back of Dipper’s neck, making him wince. “You did better than last time. You just need to build up your strength a little more.”

“It wasn’t that long ago that I didn’t _need_ to build up strength! I didn’t have to _try_ to make a stupid orange fly, I just _did it_!” the blonde snapped, raking a hair through his hair before he began to pull on the golden locks.

Dipper felt a surge of pity for the former demon. Hesitantly he raised a hand; gently settling it on one of the ones Bill had gripping his hair. “You’re going to hurt yourself.” He soothed. The hand below his went slack, and he dared to take it in his own. “I know you’re frustrated, but you _are_ getting better Bill. In a few weeks, maybe even a few days, you can make even more progress. But you need to keep trying.” He kept his voice soft, trying to say something that would comfort the blonde.

Without fully thinking about it he laced their fingers together, drawing Bill’s attention. They stared at each other silently for a while before Bill spoke, “Pinetree, what-” The door to the shack slammed open.

“Dipper! Bill! I brought pizza!”

The two of them snatched their hands away; burning hot embarrassment took over Dipper’s face and blossomed intensely across his neck and shoulders. He rose to his feet, almost knocking the chair over. “In the kitchen Mabes!”

Dipper busied himself with helping bring out plates, snatching cans of soda from the fridge, and taking over serving them from his twin as he avoided Bill’s gaze. He could feel conflicting sensations ghost across the mark of their bond. Things that burned, things that scratched or felt like a set of teeth, and every few seconds, something gentle; almost like something was caressing the skin there.

As he sat eating he pretended not to notice the glances that Bill shot at him while they listened to Mabel gush about her time with Pacifica. He pretended that he didn’t notice how cold his hand felt without Bill’s.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Gravity Falls fic and my first time posting fanfiction in general. I'm pretty bad at being grammatically correct, but advice would be very much appreciated! I hope you enjoy, and I'll be getting to work on the next chapter very soon! UwU


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